'Salary cap' eyed for soccer imports

As China's lavish soccer clubs continue to sign foreign stars for staggering sums of money, the country's top sports body is considering imposing a "salary cap" to restrict excessive spending for more sustainable development of the domestic league.

A ceiling on the investment in player transfers and salaries should be set to curb the mounting financial burden on the clubs, the General Administration of Sport of China, the country's top sports body, said in a proposal released on Thursday. It also said more transparent financial auditing of clubs should be conducted.

"A series of issues, such as clubs spending excessively on overpriced foreigners while neglecting investment in youth training, have been hampering the long-term development of the game," it said in the statement.